41 Facts About Robert Bales

Robert Bales was born on June 30,1973, and raised in Norwood, Ohio, near the city of Cincinnati, the youngest of five brothers.

Robert Bales attended Norwood High School where he played football and was named class president.

In 2002 Robert Bales was charged with assaulting his then girlfriend and ordered to undergo anger-management counseling.

In 2003, Robert Bales met his later to be wife, Kari Primeau, while she was at a bar supporting her friend's band.

Kari states that Robert Bales was a man "full of enthusiasm, eager to tell her every little thing he was learning about war and how to wage it," until he deployed to Iraq.

In 2008, Robert Bales was briefly detained after fleeing a hit and run.

Robert Bales enlisted in the US Army in November 2001, shortly after the September 11 attacks.

Robert Bales was initially assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry of the 3rd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division in Fort Lewis.

Robert Bales completed three tours in the Iraq War: twelve months in 2003 and 2004, fifteen months in 2006 and 2007, and ten months in 2009 and 2010.

Robert Bales was promoted to staff sergeant on April 1,2008, which made him responsible for nineteen men, who he believed were insufficiently prepared.

Robert Bales received orders of deployment to Afghanistan in December 2011, which were speculated to have caused marital conflict and financial strain because his family was not expecting him to be deployed again.

Robert Bales then joined SSG David Godwin and Sergeant Jason McLaughlin to drink whiskey mixed with diet soda from a plastic water bottle, although drinking alcohol was prohibited on base.

Around midnight, Robert Bales consumed a handful of over-the-counter sleeping pills, stating that he had not slept in days and wanted to rest.

Per Blackshear's testimony in the Army's investigation, Robert Bales said that he did not care if he died in the line of duty, because his life did not matter as much as the lives of Blackshear and younger soldiers.

Government officials with knowledge of the investigation state that the killings were carried out in two phases, with Robert Bales returning to base in between.

Robert Bales is believed to have first gone to Alkozai, about.

Robert Bales left for the second time after resupplying his ammo, adding grenades and a grenade launcher to his resources.

Robert Bales stated in an interview that he went to the homes of suspected insurgents, where insurgent satellite phones, bombs, and rifles had been found.

Robert Bales reported being disoriented when he left the last villagers' home, realizing that he was now cold, wearing only a T-shirt and army pants.

When Robert Bales exited the last house in Naja Bien, the commanding officer of the Green Berets, CPT Daniel Fields, ordered a rescue team to begin scouring the area around the base for SSG Robert Bales, dispatching the Persistent Ground Surveillance System, a high tech air balloon with a thermal camera attached to it.

At 0430, the camera picked up SSG Robert Bales's signal, walking back to the base.

At 0447, Robert Bales approached the base, weapons of his fellow Americans pointed at him.

Robert Bales was then disarmed and turned over to the Green Berets.

Investigators said Robert Bales returned to Camp Belambai after the first attack and left the camp an hour later to commit the second.

Robert Bales's stop in Kuwait upset the Kuwaiti government, as they had heard about the Bales case from news reports before being informed by the US government.

On March 16,2012, Robert Bales was flown from Kuwait to the Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

On March 19,2012, Robert Bales met with Browne at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, prison.

In October 2012, Robert Bales was transferred to Northwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Browne described Robert Bales as "mild-mannered", claiming his client was upset after seeing a friend's leg blown off the day before the killings, but held no animosity toward Muslims.

Robert Bales had no documented history of mental disorders, and had undergone an extensive mental health screening to become a sniper in 2008.

The hearing included eyewitnesses testimony from Afghanistan via a live video link; Robert Bales did not testify.

On May 29,2013, it was announced Robert Bales would plead guilty and describe the events of March 11,2012.

Robert Bales said he had taken the steroids solely to be "huge and jacked" and blamed them for "definitely" increasing his irritability and anger.

Robert Bales took to the stand to issue an apology to his victims.

Robert Bales dares to ask you for mercy when he has shown none.

Robert Bales was demoted to the lowest enlisted rank, dishonorably discharged, and forfeited all pay and allowances.

Afghan villagers and the families of Robert Bales's victims were upset by the decision, saying he deserved death.

Robert Bales is incarcerated in the maximum security section of the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth.

In December 2020, the defense of Robert Bales requested a pardon from President Donald Trump.

In 2023, a podcast series titled The War Within: The Robert Bales Story covered the story of the Kandahar Massacre, and featured audio recordings of extensive interviews with Bales, as well as commentary from soldiers, lawyers, medical experts, and Afghan civilians who were involved with the case in various capacities.

The Robert Bales family was struggling financially and had put its home up for sale three days before the shootings.